


The Grand King's Little Prince

by Lady_Iwaizumi



Series: Iwaoi Stories [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Final Haikyuu Quest, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Aobajousai Kingdom, Awkward Conversations, Battle Scars, Bitterness, Child Abandonment, Children, Domestic Fluff, Family Drama, Family Reunions, Family Secrets, Father-Son Relationship, Final Haikyuu Quest, First Love, Flashbacks, Humor, Identity Reveal, Kinda, Light Angst, Lost Love, M/M, Magic-Users, Making Up, Mentions of Sex, Mpreg, Oikawa is a daddy?, Oneshot, Past Childbirth, Past Relationship(s), Post-Battle, Post-Break Up, Reunions, Single Parents, Slice of Life, king!Oikawa, knight!Iwaizumi, well it has two partsbut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-06
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-28 06:22:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12600216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Iwaizumi/pseuds/Lady_Iwaizumi
Summary: Two-years ago, Iwaizumi Hajime abruptly left Aobajousai Kingdom and abandoned his knighthood status under mysterious circumstances, running away from his friend and first love, King Tooru, without so much as a goodbye; now, after clearing-up a long two-year argument with the neighboring kingdom of Shiratorizawa, the grand king has located his bravest knight in a small village outside of medieval Tokyo.King Tooru did not expect to find Iwaizumi living and protecting a small child—He also did not expect the child to have HIS eyes...





	1. The Grand King's Little Prince

**Author's Note:**

> I accidently thought of another Iwaoi oneshot? Loosely based off Haikyuu Final Quest, even though I don't really know what that is, apart from those awesomely angsty pictures on Pinterest...  
> (which I own no rights no, nor was I trying to steal an idea)  
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Grand King of Aobajosai tracks down his bravest knight, and figures out some secrets along the way.

Iwaizumi Hajime used to be the greatest knight in all of Aobajosai.

 

He was the best of the best; he could swordfight, he could defend, he could ride horse, he could use a whip, and he even won the annual armwrestling contest at the King Celebration three-years running, breaking the streak of street urchin and future knight, Kyoutani Kentaro. There were fantastic, _true_ stories that told of his courage, his supreme willpower during training, his bravery and leadership during hard battles, and above all, his never-ending loyalty to King Oikawa Tooru. He was one of the only people among the Circle of Knights who was able to get through to the king when he was acting more stubborn than usual, and many of his fighting companions admired his skill and harshness when dealing with the confident, cool young man who was, arguably, one of the best kings to ever come through Seijoh. The younger men of Seijoh deemed Knight Iwaizumi their captain, their idol, and the children of the city he protected called him a hero, a bold knight with a heart of kindness and spikey hedgehog hair he even let them touch without being embarrassed or shameful; the children also loved what little magic he could do with his hands, like making flowers levitate, and creating flowers from thin air, popping them out of the kids’ ears, much to their amazement. The women, of course, loved him too, not only because of his good looks, but because of his strength, sternness, and justness to their husbands when the month of crop selling came around. Everyone in Aobajosai was given equal treatment, and the city prospered even during times of terrible war, most recently, the one against Date Tech and their “Iron Wall.”

With King Oikawa and Knight Iwaizumi beside each other, they pursued forward, and broke through the Iron Wall together, and their magical and strength powers had never been so high; they later convinced Date Tech’s leader to stop pursuing more territory on Seijoh land, all in the course of two days.

Both the King and his bravest knight were young in age (shown by their immature arguments and fights during dinnertime), but strong in skill and knowledge, and the elder advisors foresaw many decades of peaceful living for Aobajosai, if the prospering continued as it was during the first five-years of King Tooru’s reign. Despite this confidence in their leader, many wondered why Oikawa had not yet started a family of his own, as to ensure that an heir to the throne would be birthed and ready by the time he passed on. It was a well-known fact that Tooru had a long-stemming knee injury that often kept him from sword practice and other activities—many wondered if this “minor” injury would become more severe with the king’s age, and the elders worried for his health, thus, making them eager for a replacement as great as he. Knight Iwaizumi was often asked to talk some sense into his king and best friend, though his words usually never got through either.

 

Or so he thought.

 

There were many things the townspeople knew about their great knight and greater king, but none of them would have ever expected that these two childhood friends were connected in ways unknown to this time and age. Sure, men were known to give birth from time to time, though they usually weren’t depicted as ever having children together, and yes, there were men in relationships that were very well known throughout Japan, but…no one in Aobajosai ever thought that the King “swung that way.”

As it turns out, Tooru and Hajime, along their great friendship and journey, began to develop romantic feelings for each other.

 

“Iwa-chan.”

“Hm?”

“C-Can you hold me? I’m…I’m…”

The soon-to-be-king exhaled shakily, and looked up at his friend with those big doe eyes.

“I’m _scared_.”

Iwaizumi felt his heart lurch, but without questioning anything, wrapped his developing biceps around Oikawa’s torso, pulling his back up against his chest as the moon shined down on them as they laid in the garden together.

“It’s okay to be a little bit scared…but you can’t be so scared that you lose your senses.”

Tooru nodded enthusiastically and held onto Iwaizumi’s hands.

“ _Thank you_ , Iwa-chan.”

 

It wasn’t just a tiny little fling of romance that ended with hate-sex and awkwardness between each other for the rest of time; their feelings for each other were very deep, _very_ emotional and bound to one another’s hearts. Perhaps it began when they were mere children growing-up together in the garden, when Tooru accidently cut his leg on a sharp stump and was discovered by Iwaizumi, who helped patch him up, and proceeded to play with the young prince to “distract him from the pain.” Their strange understanding of each other only strengthened as they grew older, and by the time they were in their early twenties, something else had blossomed so profoundly that neither could ignore the innocent feeling they felt in their hearts whenever their skin touched, or whenever they found themselves completely alone together, free of other knights, advisors, maids…

 

The grand king and his bravest knight were very much in love.

 

Many now believe the pair were _still_ in love when Iwaizumi, at the age of twenty-five, disappeared from the kingdom without a trace.

“Iwa-channnn, where are you? I told you to stop locking the door! Someone might see me if I’m standing out here for too lo—”

The door of the knight’s chambers slowly creaked open as Oikawa tried to knock; surprised, and a little bit confused, the king pushed the door opened further, and felt his heart stop beating as he looked inside, seeing nothing but Iwaizumi’s knight armor sitting in the corner, freshly cleaned. The bedsheets Tooru gave him as a present (sheets from his own bed) were gone, the few dishes and decorations were gone, his _scent_ was gone, but most importantly…

 _Iwaizumi_ was gone.

“I…Iwa-chan?”

The king began to think wildly, not understanding the scene in front of him; he told the knight he was going to come to his chambers for once, since the three times they had sex it was in Tooru’s room, and he didn’t want Iwaizumi to always have to be the one to wake-up early and leave before anyone could see them together. Hajime was nowhere to be found. His casual clothes were gone, his boots were gone…all sure signs that wherever the knight went, he planned on staying a long time—

 

Even the light pink tissue Iwaizumi used to wipe Oikawa’s happy tears (and a few other bodily fluids) away during their first time together was gone.

 

“Find Iwaizumi,” King Tooru had ordered the other knights fiercely, voice trembling from fear. “ _Find him_.”

 

Rumors flew about the reasoning behind his leave, but Tooru couldn’t find it in him to believe any words that didn’t come from Hajime himself. He thought maybe it was because of his own tendency to take things too far when he was acting as his confident, superfluous self, but normally Hajime would call him out if that was the problem…and would the knight really leave for such a small reason? Would he really leave so suddenly after five-years of being in an official relationship with the childish king? With tensions on the rise with Shiratorizawa to the North border, Oikawa almost didn’t have time to think about the depth of his heartbreak—he needed three more knights from his circle to make up for Iwaizumi’s loss, and although he appreciated and admired the other volunteers, he knew they would never be able to protect him like Hajime had, in more ways than one.

Knight Iwaizumi had always been there for him. Off the battlefield, in the meetings, in the corridors, strolling through the garden at night…he was always there to talk, to comfort, and to love. Tooru needed those things more than he could ever say, and when Hajime left without so much as a note, he couldn’t come up with a reason why; he didn’t have much time to ponder, either, as a war of words had begun with Shiratorizawa, to last _two-long years_ into the future.

And where was the great knight Iwaizumi at this time?

Firstly, Hajime had left the knighthood willingly; he was not blackmailed with his intimate relationship with the king, nor was he forced out by any of the other knights. He left quietly and calmly with the money he earned from living alongside Oikawa for the past sixteen-years, took his favorite battle horse along, and found a tiny village to settle-down in. Iwaizumi loved being a knight. He loved being _Tooru’s_ knight especially, because he never wanted his true love’s life to be put in someone else’s hands. But…he also _didn’t_ enjoy being a knight. Fighting was useless. He hated fighting. He hated practice fighting, he hated training for fighting, and he hated going into battle. Love protecting, hate bloodshed. Iwaizumi always knew his time as Aobajosai’s great knight would be short-lived; the young man had always planned to tell Oikawa of his plans to retire from the force when he reached the age of twenty-seven (if he lived that long) and returned back to his humble beginnings, working weekdays, getting up with the rising sun, cuddling up next to his significant other when it was too cold to venture outside…

 

Seijoh’s bravest knight had not been seen in two-years.

 

And so now, the ex-knight lived a quiet life with his little prince, in a small village outside of medieval Tokyo.

 

Whether or not Tooru searched for him right away, nobody knew; high tensions were hanging in the air between the neighboring kingdom of Shiratorizawa, who wanted King Oikawa to marry into their family (“Marry that bastard Ushijima? No thank you.”) and create an empire so strong no one would be able to overthrow it. The king’s heart ached for his knight in shining armor, and finally, after officially ending all agreements with Shiratorizawa after two long, isolated years, he had located Iwaizumi.

And he didn’t plan on leaving until Hajime agreed to come home.

~~~-~~~

“Iwaizumi-san, can you grab the other side of this?”

“Sure thing.”

“Thanks!”

 

Despite having not practiced knighthood in two-years, Hajime still had his strength and his finely-toned skills; he hurried over to where Kindaichi was trying to put a large replacement wheel back on the broken carriage and lifted the other side up, easily sliding the wood into place. Since arriving at this village, Iwaizumi had been a friend to all, and frequently helped his neighbors with difficult tasks, despite himself only being considered lower-middle class. Kindaichi reminded him of his old knight friends, and he found himself taking the boy under his wing more and more with each passing day—today was both a favor day and a work day, so he would have to go to the local mill any minute now.

“I need to get stronger,” Kindaichi huffed to himself, bending over to catch his breath. “It shouldn’t be that hard to lift a wagon wheel…”

“You’re still young,” Iwaizumi smiled mildly, patting his friend on the back. “I wouldn’t start worrying about it too much.”

The turnip-headed boy gave the ex-knight that same wide-eyed look he always gave and grinned back brightly.

“Thank you, Iwaizumi-san!”

“No problem—I gotta get going, but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay! Bye Iwaizumi-san!”

“See you later, Kindaichi.”

 

 _Today’s a good day_ , Hajime thought to himself as he strolled through the bustling village. _I only have to work four-hours at the mill today, and then I can spend the rest of the night with Roku. Tomorrow’s my day off, but I’ll probably have to do that favor for Tadashi, but that’s fine, because his wife babysits for free, so I won’t mind doing that for them. I wonder what I’ll make for dinner tonight…I think I have some bear meat left. I can cut that up into little pieces, so it shouldn’t be a problem, although it might be a bit difficult to chew for him…_

Iwaizumi shrugged and turned the corner, seeing that the other few mill workers weren’t here yet; despite his scowling eyebrows, Hajime made a lot of friends in the village, although the first nine-months he limited his conversations to only the sweet old ladies who sold him food at the markets. They were content to not know anything about the young stranger, and often gave him baskets of homemade milkbread, various cheeses and warm milk, because they said those things were important sources of nutrients for people who were—

“Afternoon, Iwaizumi.”

“Afternoon, Matsukawa-san.”

Amazingly, Hajime’s employer was the father of a fellow knight, a sight which nearly made Iwaizumi faint the first time he saw the man, whose son was a spitting image of him. Mr. Matsukawa owned the town’s mill, where he employed a younger son, Iwaizumi and one other man; between the three, they got a lot of things done in one day’s work.

“I’m here, I’m here!” Yamaguchi called as he sprinted towards the pair. “I’m not late, am I?!”

“Nope; you’re on Iwaizumi’s time today.”

“Oh thank goodness...”

 

Iwaizumi and Mr. Matsukawa grinned at Yamaguchi’s anxiety, and although Hajime wanted to ask how Roku was, their conversation was cut-off by the noon bell, signaling them to start working.

 

“Three loads of 12x10’s today,” Matsukawa’s father said. “Get to work.”

“Right away, Matsukawa-san.”

Yamaguchi and Hajime got started right as the younger son came hurrying in, mumbling something about his shoes ripping or something as Iwaizumi began sawing at the first piece of wood. He liked this type of work the same as he liked knighthood, because with both professions, he knew he was granting people protection—only this time, he could do so without bloodshed. Well, Yamaguchi cut himself more times than not, so there was a _little_ bloodshed, but at least it wasn’t on Iwaizumi’s conscious.

Unknown to the ex-knight, someone was admiring his figure as he worked on the wood, cutting and sawing and carefully placing the wood piles in the back of a wagon, to be delivered Sunday morning, bright and early. The mysterious visitor let their eyes rake over the prominent muscles underneath the dirty grey work-shirt whose elbow-length sleeves left his toned, tan forearms out in the open for everyone to see; they watched his quick, powerful movements as he tossed the extra pieces of wood into a nearby pit, they watched his focused, smooth thinking as he ordered Yamaguchi to hold the wood piece while he fixed the length of the end…their eyes never left his figure, and found their way up to his face, each edge and turn, each slant and each mark from years of wearing heavy clunking armor…

 

They remained hidden in the shadows of the small buildings, and waited.

 

“Yamaguchi—could you run this letter over to someone for me?”

“Yes sir!”

“Hey, I’ve gotta mail something too, can I go with?”

“What, are you mailing a love letter to that girl you’ve been sneaking out to see?” Matsukawa-san teased his son.

“N-No!”

“By all means, don’t let me stop you. Go right ahead, I’ll go get our lunch—you don’t mind being alone for a few minutes, do you, Iwaizumi?”

“Not at all.”

“Great. We’re off, then.”

Hajime gave the three a short wave and returned to his work, wiping off his dusty hands before grabbing the blade of the saw and cleaning it off with a rag; due to his lingering knight senses, he felt someone enter the clearing behind him, though he paid no mind, because they would probably be gone in half a second anyway. It wasn’t uncommon for friends to stop by during their lunch hour and strike-up a conversation about the weather or the newest village drama; Iwaizumi tried to stay out of that line of topic, but he liked talking about the jousting competitions in inner-Tokyo, so he usually managed to bear dull conversation until that point arrived.

 

A minute passed, and Iwaizumi could still feel a presence behind him.

 

 _Not even going to say hello?_ He wondered cautiously. _Weird…usually everyone says hello, even if they don’t know who you are. Whatever. Just ignore them. Probably some kid waiting to steal some shit. Keep alert, but keep working, too. This order ha—_

 

“Iwa-chan.”

 

Every inch of Hajime’s body _froze_. His hands stopped wiping the saw blade down, his heart ceased to beat inside his chest, and his mind stopped working. There…there was no way. He hadn’t really heard that. There was no way he heard someone call him ‘Iwa-chan.’ Nobody else could _ever_ come up with a nickname like that. It was impossible. The only person who ever called him that was…was…

 _No_ —no _fucking way_ …

King Oikawa watched in shocked silence as his old lover and best friend turned around after a _painfully_ slow minute. But what was another minute compared to two-years of no communication, no _anything_? Hanamaki had finally found someone who heard of someone named Iwaizumi not a day ago, and now, here Oikawa was, standing right in front of the man he used to love, the man he still loved so _desperately_ he had abandoned all of his king duties for the day and come all the way here to find him, to talk to him, to ask him what went wrong, why he left him _all alone_ —

“Tooru.” Iwaizumi breathed, voice struggling in disbelief. “Tooru…”

 

_I can’t believe it’s you._

Wide chocolate eyes stared into wide dark ones as the pair silently trembled, silently looked over one another again, like they used to have the privilege of doing every single day; Iwaizumi noted that time had done nothing but make Oikawa more beautiful, fuller, even, and _shit_ , had he grown another inch? His legs were not that long last time he remembered seeing them in the bathtub. Not that he thought about those moments on a daily basis…his king outfit wasn’t as polished as usual, but the teal color had never suited his pale skin better, and Hajime got the shivers just remembering how cold that pale skin was right before they got all riled up together…

Tooru had almost passed-out after hearing Iwa-chan— _his_ Iwa-chan—whisper his given name like he did, his voice full of emotion, a hidden type of longing, one he wanted to hear, but didn’t think he would ever have the honor of hearing again. Why oh why did Iwaizumi have to be so handsome? Why did he have to get better with age? Why did the peasant shirt and shorts go so well with his body? Why the hell hadn’t Oikawa’s dreams and memory kept-up with this new image, this new confidence in Hajime that usually only came out when he was challenged, or when they were in battle together, when Tooru needed him most…why was he still in love with him?

 

Suddenly, Iwaizumi dropped down to one knee and crossed his right arm over his chest (his sexy, proud chest). Tooru startled a foot backwards, alarmed at the romantic stance.

 

“ _King Oikawa_ ,” Hajime addressed respectfully, head down. “Forgive me for not immediately bowing, I fear my knight manners are heavily out of practice.”

_Right…THAT’S why…curse you and your honor, Iwa-chan!_

“It’s been two-years.” Oikawa forced out, ignoring Hajime’s stance.

Iwaizumi glanced-up, even though he thought his mind would have told him not to, because it was a very, _very_ bad idea to stare up into the face of his old lover.

“…Yes.” The knight swallowed. “It’s…it’s been a while.”

“How are you?”

 _Missing you_ , Iwaizumi almost said. He accidently glanced down at the king’s lips as he answered. What—he wasn’t allowed a few slip-ups after being surprised with the sudden appearance of his long-lost love?

“I’ve been…good. Great, actually, um……how are you?”

Oikawa didn’t really give a reply. He chose to stare at Hajime instead, and the conversation took an abrupt turn, one they had both been expecting since the very beginning.

“Where did you go?” Tooru asked, voice laced with desperation. “Why did you leave the knighthood? Why…why did you just… _leave_?”

 

Hajime knew what his king, his best friend, partner and lover was actually saying. Even after two-years of not seeing him, he still knew the bastard like the back of his hand. The words were out in the air, and Oikawa was taken-aback by this old habit, upon noticing that knowing look Iwaizumi was giving him.

 

_“Why did you leave ME?”_

 

“LOOK OUT!!!!!”

 

_BoooOOOOMM!_

 

A series of terrifying screams shattered the quietness of the tiny village, and Iwaizumi and Oikawa were both thrown stumbling backwards by a large explosion to their left; black smoke drifted off the wreckage of the cluster of mud houses, the remaining magic from the bomb sparkling around the debris. A flash of more black went past the sky, and the two lovers immediately went into battle mode, alerting themselves to the current situation by standing firm, ready, arms tensed, hands twitching, prepared to do whatever necessary to protect the innocent people—

And each other.

“Over th—!”

The king’s yell was overwhelmed by another booming noise, this time, to their right, close to a place Iwaizumi did _not_ want to be destroyed. He watched the aim, the size, the angle of the magic bomb, and his heart _fell_ at a rapid pace into his stomach when he realized the attacker had perfectly aimed the fire ball right at… _right_ _at_ …

“ _No_.” Hajime whispered fiercely.

Tooru only had a split-second to glance over at his friend before the knight took off running in the direction of the shooter.

 

Aobajosai’s king and his greatest knight combined again in another thrilling adventure after two-years apart, two-years of frustration and loneliness that was all made-up for with the old image of Iwaizumi’s strong back leading ahead of Tooru as they went in search of the culprit who was attacking Tokyo. The nerves, his anxiety, it all faded away with the single image of Hajime glancing back at him with those dark brown eyes, full of concern, determination, and reassurance, all in one handsome scowl, the same scowl Oikawa fell in love with after so many years of petty arguments, precious moments, and passionate confessions on a daily basis as war raged around them, as their feelings only grew stronger with time, experience, loss…

This was what they had been missing.

“Right behind you, Iwa-chan!”

Tooru fell step-in-step with Hajime as they sprinted towards another explosion, talking over the screams of villagers and the psychotic laughs of the attacker.

“Magic?”

“Definitely—he has flying ability, which is lucky for him, or else we’d be all over that bastard, right?”

Iwaizumi couldn’t really smile, not knowing the exact location of one of the explosions was.

“I don’t have armor anymore, so you’ll have to do most of the attacking. I’ll cover you as well as I can.” The knight said quickly, holding a hand out to signal the other to stop. “He’s landed somewhere around the corner. Can you—”

“Make a scene?” Oikawa suggested.

“No. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

Tooru grinned, thrilled that Iwa-chan was playing along with their old battle-banters.

“At least one more time, if you would.”

“Shut-up, Shittykawa.”

 

Iwaizumi glanced around the corner ever-so-slightly to check the situation out; the magical attacker was standing in the middle of Tokyo square, watching terrorized citizens sprint and scream as they desperately tried to avoid him, dodging and tripping over each other, trying to gather the children who were paralyzed in fear. The sight of Kindaichi’s younger brother sobbing in a corner for his family sent Hajime reeling, and he pushed forward with more willpower than Oikawa had seen in a long time.

Aobajosai’s bravest knight was returning.

He could feel a stirring in his blood as that same protective stance twitched into place, just like old times; his back bent straighter with pride, dignity, a strange glowing aura that could only be described as godly. The village people of Tokyo would not recognize this Iwaizumi, the same one who walked with a scowl, but was always ready to smile at a merchant, or play with the local children when they begged for piggyback rides, or help out with the food stands whenever weather made them impossible to set-up. This couldn’t be the same Iwaizumi who took Roku for walks around the block, bought him a mildly expensive Japanese peach (even after knowing that the mess they made when bit into was absolutely _disastrous)_ , the same one who talked sense into the young punks of the town, the same one who was just such a nice guy you wouldn’t believe he even existed.

Or…was _this_ Iwaizumi only disguised by those appealing images?

 

“Okay,” He breathed, eyeing the magic man who was currently conjuring up another black smoke bomb whose effects were yet to be determined. “Are you going to attack him, or should I distract him first?”

“Your call.”

“ _My_ call?” Iwaizumi almost laughed at the thought. “Just answer the question, _King Oikawa_.”

“I put my trust in you, _Knight Hajime_.” Tooru winked.

“I’m not your knight anymore.”

The words hurt Iwaizumi almost as much as they hurt Oikawa. They went silent, watching the magic man as his eyes glimmered with desire; Kindaichi’s little brother was right in his way, and Hajime knew they needed to act fast.

“Fine—you want a plan? I’m going to get Kindaichi’s brother. You can attack the bastard when I’ve got him distracted.”

“You’re out of touch, Iwa-chan!”

“I don’t have any armor, what else do you suggest?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a hiding spot?”

“In your dreams, Crappykawa.”

 

Tooru grinned again, but his heart was racing with anxiety as he watched Iwaizumi hustle stealthily out of their alleyway, heading towards the crying boy in the corner as more screaming citizens went flying past. He had forgotten how stressful it was, knowing that Hajime would literally take _bullet_ after _bullet_ for him…

The spikey-haired young man crept forward, almost on his knees, as he tried to sneak towards Kindaichi’s little brother, who had become the object of the attacker’s interest; Oikawa waited in his hiding spot, readying his hands as they glowed that familiar aqua color, magic stirring through his veins much more powerful than the attacker could ever possible imagine—

There were many reasons why Tooru had survived two-years without his bravest knight. This was one of those reasons.

Iwaizumi had captured the man’s attention, and yet, dying or being in danger didn’t cross his mind once; he wasn’t planning on losing today. Iwaizumi Hajime _never_ failed. The only time he had was when he left Oikawa.

 

_And there’s no way I’ll be able to do that ever again._

                                                                                                     

That being thought, Iwaizumi’s jaw locked firmly, and losing his stealth position, sprinted swiftly towards Kindaichi’s little brother and scooped him up into his arms.

 

Another round of black magic was shot in their direction, the ex-knight managing to evade the burning flames by mere inches, and then, King Oikawa took over.

 

_SLLLICE!_

A bright gleam of blue sped through the air, hitting the second half of the black explosive head-on, erupting it into a million useless pieces; Hajime’s head snapped left on instinct, his eyes burning with the familiar image of a proud, thrilling Tooru as he emerged beautifully from the alleyway, black cloak flowing behind his form, wind giving his hair a whiff as he walked towards the culprit with no fear, no emotion.

Iwaizumi hated himself for loving the picture painted in front of him.

“You…aren’t you some sort of King?” The attacker said in questioning, stupidly unafraid of Oikawa as fire burned around them. Hajime hurriedly gave a hushed warning to Kindaichi’s little brother and passed him off to his mother, who was hysterically searching for her other son amongst the chaos.

“Where’s Kindaichi?!” The mother screamed, grabbing onto Iwaizumi’s arms tightly. “Where’s Kindaichi?”

“He went to the post office before lunch—check there, and _don’t_ go past the mill.” He warned gently. “Understand?”

“Y-Yes, t-thank you I-Iwaizumi!” She answered shakily.

“Go. I’ll check back with you later. Stay safe.”

“Y-Yes!”

 

As soon as the crying child and his mother were gone, the three were left alone in the empty square, though the yells and panicking cries of the citizens echoed through each alleyway. Tooru stopped ten-feet away, and gave the stranger a stern, always-proud expression. He was holding something underneath his cloak—Iwaizumi didn’t wonder what it was, because he was too concerned about the fire reaching Oikawa before he stopped monologuing.

“King Tooru Oikawa of Aobajosai, to be exact.” The handsome man introduced. “Where we come from, it’s considered rude to not address kings and queens appropriately. Iwa-chan! Would you mind showing him how it’s done?”

Hajime said nothing. The attacker didn’t so much as glance at Iwaizumi, and turned around without a care in the world, not intelligent enough to understand that he had attacked the village at a very bad time.

“Nice meeting you, _King Oikawa_. If you don’t min—”

“I _do_ mind,” Tooru said, stepping forward to prevent the man from walking away. “Now stop with this black magic before my hand is forced.”

“Mmmmm…let me think about it for a few minutes!” He teased.

 

Talking-back wasn’t his mistake; Oikawa dealt with back-talk on a daily basis, since it was only natural for people to want to challenge his flaunting attitude. No…his _real_ mistake was aiming another black magic bomb towards Tooru.

 

_POW!_

 

With one quick snap, the explosive ball was shattered, hitting something that was stronger than the king, stronger than his greatest knight; the force was so strong that when the magic came within inches, it all but disintegrated, without even coming in contact with the opposing defender. For a long moment, the knight didn’t recognize what magical shield had stopped the black storm from destroying Tooru where he stood—then, inch by inch, a shimmering silver object was risen in front of Oikawa’s form, held firmly by his right hand. Hajime sucked in a trembling breath when his memory resurrected something from times so long ago he became traumatized over the idea of Roku ever seeing him hold an object of such malice intentions.

 

It was Knight Iwaizumi’s _battle sword_.

 

Made of the purest silver to ever exist in their kingdom, the sword’s blade was said to be immune to all magical forces, including curses and explosive spells alike; Hajime had been gifted the sword by Tooru himself for his twentieth birthday, who found it deep inside the Aobajosai Castle. He had saved the king’s life with it more times than he could ever count, and his own life was spared because of the blade’s power on several occasions as well.

The attacker of black magic didn’t stand a chance.

Dust prevented anyone from seeing the scene inside Tokyo square, but the culprit of the village’s destruction was lying in an unconscious heap, blood dripping from his ears and nose over the incredibly breaking force of Iwaizumi’s sword. Oikawa trotted over, still reeling from the great power surging through the silver blade as he checked the villain for signs of life; many of the citizens were caught in the chaos, and a few stumbled through the scene, trying to find their loved ones and friends.

Seeing familiar faces fly by reminded Iwaizumi of someone very important.

Tooru leaned down to investigate, slipping the sword away once he was sure the attacker was no longer a threat; judging on the dent to the man’s head, he figured they would be good for a few days, and stood back up to ask Hajime for advice on what to do next. Well…the king knew how they dealt with people like this in Aobajosai, but things were probably different here, if Iwaizumi had chosen to live here after his violent past of knighthood.

 

“Just like old times! Am I right, Iwa-chan?”

Oikawa turned right to smile at Hajime, but found that there was no one standing beside him.

“Um…Iwa-chan?”

Catching sight of the ex-knight running through the small village houses, Tooru took off after him, yelling his name and telling him to stop, that he needed to talk to him about something important. Iwaizumi didn’t obey like he normally- _almost_ would have, in the old days, and continued sprinting through shortcuts and alleyways, hurrying somewhere faster than Tooru had ever seen him run before.

“Iwa-chan, stop!”

King Oikawa entered a tiny clearing with four small straw and mud houses all in a little cluster; he hadn’t even realized they were heading in the direction of the second explosion caused by the magic man. Iwaizumi had stopped right in front of him, staring wildly at the small flames on the caved-in corner of one of the homes next to another hut that had been destroyed, now laying in a pile of debris—Tooru could only remember one time when the knight had that same expression. It was the day Oikawa was almost killed by a stray arrow sailing towards his stomach. Iwaizumi’s eyes were distant, alive, full of terror and emptiness, just like they were now.

 

So who was inside the wreckage that caused such a look _this_ time around?

 

“Iwaizumi.” Tooru said firmly, trying to get the other’s attention. “I need to talk to you ab—”

 

His sentence was cut-off by a stumbling noise coming from the opened door of the hut; he heard a shaking, terrified breath release from Iwaizumi’s open mouth, and then, someone emerged.

 

A small socked-foot came in contact with the front stone step; another one followed, dragging and tripping a bit, pulling a tiny little boy into their view. When his head turned upwards, all of Oikawa’s words died in his throat.

He _knew_ that little boy.

It was him, wasn’t it? Wasn’t that how his hair always stuck-up when he was a child? But…that wasn’t possible, unless time-travel was screwing him over somehow, making a copy of him to kill so that it killed the real him, too? Oikawa blinked once, and stared a hole into the young boy as he frantically studied more of this mystery child’s features.

Yes. The hair was the same as his, the little flips and twirls here and there, but the color was darker, a shade of black, almost, and the strands were wilder, like Tooru’s was whenever he woke-up from a nap. There were a few stray tears pooling onto his rosy cheeks, though the blush wasn’t as noticeable as it would have been on the king, because the child’s skin was neither pale nor tan; and his eyes…his _eyes_ were _exactly the same_ as _his_. The same chocolate brown color, mixed with a bit of chestnut, the same round, but crudely secretive shape.

That was _him_.

But…it was also this little boy.

 

The child’s big eyes were staring at Iwaizumi with happiness, though the tears were still glistening on the surface, threatening to fall further; Tooru then noticed the darker hue of the long eyelashes, matching the color of his hair. _God_ …why did he look _so much like him_? When the little boy reached his hands upwards, towards Hajime, Oikawa even noticed that the child’s fingers matched his exactly, long in length, especially for a boy so young. His eyes trailed the movements, watching as the thin pink lips parted, listening as a familiar high voice, though not nearly as teasing or suspicious, came floating out of the toddler.

 

“D-Daddy!” He blubbered, tears returning at the sight of his apparent father. “Daddy, help…”

 

King Oikawa could hardly stop his gasp when Iwaizumi ran towards the little boy and scooped him up into his strong arms, holding him close and gentle, but with much firmness, cradling him against his chest as he quietly reassured the child with kind, soothing words, though had the boy been older, he would have noticed the trembling fear and shaky relief in his father’s tone.

“ _Roku_ ,” Tooru heard Hajime whisper stressfully, putting a hand on the back of his son’s head to hold him even closer. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Any booboos?”

The child sniffled harshly and shook his head, wrapping his arms around Iwaizumi’s neck.

“You’re okay,” The knight hummed to both his son and himself, laying his lips against the soft hair in a half-hearted kiss. “Shh…Daddy’s got you now…it’s okay…don’t cry baby, it’s okay…”

“Roku?! Roku?!”

A tiny young blonde woman came hurrying out of the burning hut, holding a crying baby in her arms; her short hair was disheveled, and her light hazel eyes were frantic and panicked, searching for the other boy with a wild gaze. When she caught sight of this so-called Roku with Iwaizumi, she seemed to calm down a little bit, but Oikawa could practically hear her heartbeat from where he was standing behind Iwaizumi.

“I’m so sorry, he just got away from me for a second while I was grabbing Lee-chan and then the hut started on fire and then I couldn’t fi—!”

“Is the baby okay?” Hajime cut her ramblings off, quickly walking towards her to check the blonde bundle in her arms.

“S-She’s fine, I think…”

“Are _you_ okay, Yachi? Where’s Yamaguchi?”

 

Yamaguchi? Was he another son? Yachi…his wife? And Roku…

 

Tooru felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. Here he was, finally face to face with the love of his life, the greatest knight he had ever known, after not seeing him for _two-fucking years_ and…and only to find that Iwaizumi…his Iwaizumi…

 

Iwaizumi already had a family of his own. And he wasn’t part of it.

 

Just as the king’s knees almost gave-out from underneath him, a skinny young man with strange hair came hustling and tripping into the scene, eyes as panicked as the tiny blonde woman’s.

“Yachi?! Yachi, are you okay?!” He called in fear, rushing over to her. “Is Lee okay?!”

“Y-Yamaguchi! S-She’s fine, b-but the hut—”

Thankfully, the small fire in the corner of the hut had gone down to a tiny flame while the group was speaking; Oikawa’s lifeless eyes returned to the sight ahead, noticing that this Yamaguchi was hurriedly kissing the foreheads of the two blonde girls and putting a safe arm around Yachi, pulling her towards him securely as she trembled from head to foot. Iwaizumi was still holding the little boy, whose navy shirt-dress had ridden-up over his legs as he desperately attached himself to his father.

 _Jeez_ , he even had Tooru’s _knees_ , his stupid, bony knees—

“You two go to Kindaichi’s.” Hajime ordered. “See if their place is okay, and get Lee to the doctor, just in case. Go.”

“Be careful, Iwaizumi-san.”

“I will. Now go; I’ll keep Roku with me.”

 

Tooru felt a little relieved to know that the girl and baby were not, in fact, Iwaizumi’s, but his heart was still hammering loudly in his chest, wild over the idea that the boy Hajime was holding was quite possibly _his_. It had to be his, right? The boy’s looks were no coincidence. Oikawa suddenly found himself flashing back to the three separate times he and Iwaizumi had sex, one occasion occurring only a month before the knight abandoned the kingdom…

He wasn’t given enough time to think over the situation. He felt Hajime’s gaze, that warm, but stern gaze, back on him. He glanced upwards, startled to meet those dark eyes as they stared back at him, both questioning and awkward. Iwaizumi had only now remembered Oikawa’s presence, though, admittedly, he thought he felt his lover everywhere he went, each time he gazed longingly into the eyes of his young son…

 _Their_ young son.

The son of the real Oikawa Tooru that Hajime knew and never stopped loving, not even when he left the kingdom to pursue his own future. And shit…he had almost _lost_ Roku today.

 

How did he get to this point?

 

Tooru and he stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Neither were sure if they were admiring, or just looking; Oikawa tried speaking first after his eyes darted between Roku and Hajime for a good two-and-a-half minutes, until he was forced to blink and come to his senses. What was it he wanted to ask Iwaizumi again? Why did he leave…but now…the questions changed. Now Tooru only wanted to confirm one thing, only, he couldn’t find himself to say those words out-loud; to avoid this conflict, he asked a question whose answer he already knew.

“W…” Oikawa swallowed harshly, voice quiet. “…W-What’s his name?”

Iwaizumi blinked blankly, then glanced down at his son, who had just turned his head to peek out at whoever was speaking. Tooru forced himself to maintain his gaze on Hajime, or risk losing his mind over staring into his own eyes.

“Roku.” The knight answered quietly.

Oikawa nodded stiffly.

“Roku…Roku?...”

“Iwaizumi.” Hajime said slowly. “Roku Iwaizumi.”

“R-Right. O-Of course! Roku Iwaizumi. It’s…it’s nice! It has a nice ring to it. I mean, I personally think Roku is a little rough for a kids’ name, but what do I k—”

“Tooru.”

The king let his mouth hover open as his old lover used his given name again, knowing that it affected him deeply whenever he did. Iwaizumi was just about ready to explain, to say what both of them already knew, but Oikawa couldn’t stop himself from spewing the words out himself.

 

“Iwa-chan,” He blurted in almost a wail. “Why does he look like… _us_?”

 

_Why indeed…_

 

Iwaizumi’s mind flashed, and he found himself back in those precious moments, all those years ago when he and Tooru had sex for only the third time, the same night Oikawa had almost died in battle. He remembered how after discovering his pregnancy an entire month later, he thought that would be the last time he ever had sex. That wasn’t what made him run like he did. Truthfully…Hajime had partly used this startling news as a scapegoat, an early escape from knighthood. Pressures were mounting around Aobajosai, Tooru was becoming busier and older, old enough to where the advisors would start insisting he marry and have children immediately; sure, Oikawa could have publicly come out and said he wanted to marry Iwa-chan, but what kind of message would that send to the kingdom? That they had been having a steamy affair behind everyone else’s backs? That the king was nothing but a slut who slept with his closest knight? That _that_ was the reason he kept Iwaizumi so close?

No.

Hajime didn’t want that. He didn’t want that life for either of them, especially Tooru, who put enough guilt on himself as it was. True, the king didn’t really care about what everyone else said, but…eventually, he would. He would begin to notice the way people looked at them, the way other _kingdoms_ looked at them. That was where the trouble began. That was where the trouble would always begin.

King Tooru’s knight wanted no part of that life, because you know what? It would _never end._ Iwaizumi would never leave Oikawa when he was in need, backed against a wall.

Never.

 

So one night, after crying his eyes out and making sure he took every reminder of Tooru with him (except for Oikawa himself), Iwaizumi packed his things, left his knighthood behind, and found a tiny village where he could become a father in peace. He didn’t want to bother the love of his life with a baby, a decision in which he still wasn’t sure was the right one, and so, never told the king about his only child, a boy, none of the less, who, in another world, would have been the next heir to the Aobajosai throne. Hajime wasn’t going to let that happen, but he felt a sudden jolt of courage overcome him when little Roku peered up at him with those big watery eyes, and softly tucked three of his tiny fingers inside his father’s shirt as he gripped the fabric.

 

After two-years, ex-knight Iwaizumi finally spilled his secret.

 

“He’s ours…Tooru.”

 

Oikawa had never been silent for so long before. The silence _around_ him had never been so damning, and Iwaizumi was shocked, but not enough to stop explaining.

 

“You remember the third time,” Hajime stated. It wasn’t a question. _Of course_ Oikawa remembered. “It was then. After a month, I…I went to a village nearby, where nobody knew me, and I found out I was pregnant.”

Tooru’s heart gave an extra thump as he remembered the exact moment, the long minute he came inside Iwaizumi. It was the first time he had topped in their physical relationship. To think, they had both thought that moment was absolutely _magical_ , and now, to find out that it really _had_ been magical…

“You knew I didn’t want to be in the knighthood for long. No matter how much I loved protecting your kingdom, the people, and no matter how much I loved you, I couldn’t stay for so many years.”

Iwaizumi gave his best friend a minute to recover from that statement, because it was just that: a statement. He said those words so _damn casually_ , so _fucking easily_ —

He still loved Tooru. Even after all this time.

The king could barely stand on his own two feet anymore, his breath jammed somewhere between his heart and his lungs.

“I wasn’t sure if I made the right choice, not telling you, but…I guess we’re here now, so it doesn’t matter very much.” Iwaizumi mumbled, glancing down at his son for more strength. “You found me. This is our son…that’s my secret. The only secret I never told you, King Oikawa.”

“Don’t call me that.” Tooru requested in a weak voice.

He turned his head down, mind still absolutely reeling over this new information. He was a _father_. He and _Iwaizumi_ had a _child_ together. They had a healthy, beautiful baby boy named Roku, and…he hadn’t been part of the experience, aside from the fact that he was the one who got Hajime pregnant. How could he even begin to react to something that profound?

 

Apparently his lover could sense the conflicting emotions, because he didn’t let the king think for too long. Tooru startled backwards again when he heard footsteps be taken in his direction.

 

“You okay, baby?” Hajime asked their son softly, nudging the boy’s head off his chest. He was slowly making his way towards Oikawa, child in hand. “You sure you’re okay?”

Roku nodded, eyeing the man they were walking towards.

“M’Okay…”

“Good, because there’s someone very special here, and I want you to meet them.”

Tooru thought about throwing one of his matter balls down and transporting himself back to Aobajosai, but decided against it when his own eyes began to look over at him curiously, with a bit of hesitation hidden amongst the chocolate orbs. Iwaizumi got within half a foot, then stopped, still holding the boy to his chest.

“Roku,” Hajime said evenly. “This is Oikawa Tooru. Your…other daddy. Can you say hi?”

Iwaizumi knew very well his son had no idea what the hell he was talking about, but the dark-haired boy went along with it anyway, and leaned against his father’s chest again, not knowing if he should hide himself or not.

“Hi…Two-oh.” Roku greeted hesitantly.

“Tour-oh.”

“Hi Tour-oh.”

King Oikawa wasn’t sure if he was crying yet, but he knew he would be soon. He managed to give a little overwhelmed laugh and bowed his head to the child.

“Hi, Roku…” Tooru forced out shakily. “It’s…very nice to meet you.”

 

For some reason, Roku let out a tiny, watery giggle at that, though he tried to hide it in his father’s chest; Oikawa looked up abruptly, having not heard a sound so beautiful since the first time he heard Iwaizumi’s huff of air and pants when he was exhausted after a long battle.

 

Tooru straightened-up, eyes wide as he stared at the child in wonder. Hajime smiled for the first time since his lover’s arrival, because he understood that look. Every time he looked at Roku, he had that same expression. Ever since he gave birth to the little boy, almost two-years ago, that look had been glued to his face, his eyes now changed from a sternness that came from battle and toughness to a glowing shade of wonder that came from the absolute joy that was fatherhood. And to think, he was so close to losing that title today, moments earlier; he could have lost what he now cherished, what he built, what he wanted and needed…Iwaizumi _needed_ Roku. He _loved_ Roku. He loved him with all his heart and soul. Having Roku beside him while he slept was like having Tooru next to him, and if that was the only reminder of Tooru he would have for the rest of his life…

He would be okay with that. As long as Roku grew-up to be happy and healthy, he would be able to forget what he himself had left behind: Oikawa Tooru, the love of his live, and the king of Aobajosai.

Losing Roku…losing Roku would be like losing Tooru. And _fuck_ that would hurt worse than _any_ lost battle, _any_ lost soldier, _any_ lost friend who had ever left Iwaizumi far too soon. It would probably kill him to lose Roku, because that death would be two birds with one stone.

 

If Hajime had lost Roku today…he would be no more.

 

That being thought, Iwaizumi took action, knowing this might possibly be the only time he, Roku and Tooru would all be together, as a family.

“Do you have to leave?” The knight asked Oikawa.

“I...I…wasn’t really planning on leaving.” Tooru said, clearing his throat awkwardly. “But that was before any of _this_ happened…”

“Would you like to stay for dinner? With Roku and I?”

 

The king took a long hard look at the two people in front of him; he had missed Iwa-chan so much. And of course he wanted to know his son, his own flesh and blood…yes. Of course he wanted to stay. In fact, he wasn’t so sure he would be able to leave, not after figuring out he had missed, what? _Two years_ with his true love and their child? That was unacceptable. Tooru didn’t make a definite decision, as nothing was in stone right now, but he figured dinner was at least a start.

 

“I would love to.”

 

Iwaizumi smiled again, and the sight had never been sweeter to his lover. Apparently Hajime couldn’t resist himself, and laid a soft kiss against Tooru’s cheek, making the latter’s head spin, and his knees threaten to give-out again. The knight went on casually, and motioned the king towards one of the small living huts that wasn’t ruined by the magic man’s wreckage; the rest of Tokyo seemed to have settled-down from the dramatic incident, but Tooru couldn’t really find it in him to care. He walked alongside Hajime and Roku, who kept taking glances at the strange man with them—once, Oikawa smiled at the boy, and resisted a loud cackle when his son made a weird face and turned away. It was such an Iwa-chan thing to do. King Tooru had never admired his best friend so much, impressed at how everything he made turned out so perfect.

 

 _Yeah_ , Oikawa thought as they walked inside the hut. _This was definitely worth skipping a meeting for._

 

 


	2. The Brave Knight's Little Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Grand King has dinner with his brave knight, and their little prince.

Walking into the modest hut, King Tooru confirmed that everything Iwaizumi made was, in fact, very beautiful.

 

The details of the home were just so _Iwa-chan_ that Oikawa had a hard time keeping his emotions under-check; after Hajime went around the small village, making sure everyone was okay, making sure all of his friends had safe places to stay, the family of three finally returned to the unscathed house of the Iwaizumi’s for a bear meat dinner together. The knight had kept Roku held against his chest throughout the entire hour they spent walking around the village, not forgetting that his own son was most likely traumatized over the frightening incident at the Yamaguchi’s. Oikawa drifted behind them awkwardly the entire time, trying to remain hidden, for fear of bringing unwanted attention to Iwaizumi by confirming that he was an old friend of the king.

All the while, Tooru found himself more in love with Iwa-chan than ever. He was falling for their son, too, and once they actually made it back to their hut, he wondered if it was in his best interest to leave before dinner began.

There was really no way this conversation could end perfectly—

 

Was there?

 

“You can sit right here,” Iwaizumi said, breaking Oikawa out of his funk. He was motioning towards the third chair sitting across from the other adult chair, on the left side of the higher child chair for Roku. “I’ve gotta clean him up first.”

Tooru nodded shortly and sat down; Hajime couldn’t remember the last time his friend had ever been so speechless. He set to work cleaning their son up before dinner, leaving the second father to get lost in his thoughts as he glanced around the one-bedroom mud home, figuring Iwaizumi probably made it with his own hands. Then again, if he was pregnant when he arrived at the village outside of Tokyo…he probably wasn’t doing much of anything. The little hut had one square table right in the center of the kitchen/entryway, taking up most of the room’s small space, though Hajime managed to get around just fine; in front of Tooru, there was a wall with three shelves holding little trinkets and a nice blue tea-set the king fondly remembered drinking from whenever he went to Iwaizumi’s room. Behind him was the kitchen cabinets and fireplace for cooking, a flattop area for preparing, and a wide bucket built into the countertop to be used as a washing center.

The home was very modest, very sturdy, and so very Iwaizumi.

 _Why am I still here?_ The king thought to himself, hands shaking underneath the table. _Why did I come here? All I’m doing is shaking-up Roku’s world, the only one he’s ever known…why did I say I’d stay? I shouldn’t be here. I’m disturbing their system. I should leave right now—I can’t afford to be the cause of Iwa-chan’s pain for a second time. I just can’t. I’ll leave now, promise to send him money whenever he needs it, and never speak to either of them again._

Oikawa gripped his hands together tightly, lowering his head in defeat.

_…No. That won’t work. I’ll never be able to leave Iwa-chan after this…_

 

“What’s dinner?” A tiny voice asked behind the king.

“Bear meat.” Hajime answered.

“Ooo.”

“Crappykawa—do you like bear meat?”

“It’s okay.”

Tooru dared to glance over his shoulder, accidently making eye-contact with his knight, who was wiping Roku’s face off with a wet rag. His eyes were questioning, curious, and Oikawa decided that it was time to let his feelings be known.

“Iwa-chan,” He began lowly, eyes flickering down to their son. “Why didn’t you _tell_ me? Why didn’t you come to me _before_ leaving, so we could figure this out together? Why would you ever think that _not_ telling me about our _son_ was a good idea?”

Iwaizumi answered quickly, already expecting this small outburst.

“Can we leave explanations until after dinner?”

 

Shutting his mouth, Tooru waved his hand in dismissal, and Hajime got to work on dinner.

 

“Can you sit in your chair like a good boy?” The knight asked his prince, sitting Roku down in the highchair beside an alarmed Oikawa.

“Mhm.”

“Good job…want your rattle to play with while Daddy makes dinner?”

“Peas!”

“ _Please_.”

“Pl _…_ ease.”

Iwaizumi smiled and snatched a small colorful rattle off one of the shelves, handing it to Roku, who grabbed the object eagerly and began crazily waving his hand in the air as the toy made obnoxious rattling noises. His father turned around to grab ingredients from the cabinets, leaving Tooru with no choice but to look at their son; as soon as he dared to, he found those chocolate brown orbs already staring back at him with glee—Roku held the rattle out towards him confidently.

“Rattle rattle rattle!” He cheered.

Tooru bit down his tears when he noticed that his son had the same captivating smile as Iwaizumi.

“That _is_ a rattle.” The king confirmed gently, touching the toy with his finger. “What sound does a rattle make?”

Roku kept that smile on his face and shook the rattle again with all his might.

“Chch chch chch chch!”

“Your son is much easier to talk to than you are, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa smiled.

“He gets that from you.” Hajime answered.

 

The king would like to say he didn’t blush at that, but then he would be lying, and a king should never lie.

 

Eventually the rattle became boring to Roku, but Iwaizumi brought something to the table just in time; Tooru’s mouth dropped open when he saw a full loaf of milkbread be set in between he and Roku, and Iwaizumi couldn’t stop a mild smile from drifting to his lips when Oikawa turned to him in questioning.

“You…you still make…milkbread?” Tooru asked with wide eyes.

“I brought a loaf home one day…Roku loved it.” Hajime explained, breaking little pieces off for his son, who had his hands held out readily. “Guess that’s another thing he got from you.”

“…Yeah…I guess he did…”

Once Iwaizumi broke off small enough chunks of the bread, he turned to their child and placed a few pieces into his hands, dumping the others onto the table in front of him. Roku hurriedly shoved the first piece into his mouth, instantly reaching for another one while he was still chewing; Hajime stopped him by taking one of the bread chunks and holding it towards the boy tauntingly—before the toddler could grab it, however, his father swiftly moved his arm and tapped the bread piece right against his son’s upturned nose.

“Boop!”

“Ahehehe!”

“Gotcha that time, Roku.”

“ _No_ ooo.”

“ _Yesss_ s.”

Roku stopped the argument by taking the bread from his father and sliding it into his awaiting mouth, drooling all over his fingers in the process; Tooru would have thought that was disgusting, had he not been so entranced by the beautiful moment between father and son.

Admittedly, he had never felt so out of place before.

“Make sure he chews it all before taking another piece, okay?” Iwaizumi asked, trying to make eye-contact with a stubborn Oikawa.

“Right. Sure thing.”

“Oikawa.”

Tooru grumbled to himself and glanced up into Hajime’s eyes.

“Yes, Iwa-chan?”

“You’re fine.” The knight assured him gently. “Don’t be so awkward.”

 

As Hajime turned back to the fireplace, where the bear meat was almost done cooking, Tooru suddenly got the urge to pull Iwa-chan back and lay a passionate kiss against his lips.

 

He didn’t end-up going through with the plan, however, and waited with Roku until the meat was finished; their son had managed to eat about two-slices of the milkbread out of the loaf, and the only thing stopping him from eating a third was his father, who slid the bread to the middle of the table so he couldn’t reach it. Roku didn’t pout, per say, but he didn’t look too happy until Hajime brought the slab of bear meat onto the table and broke off little pieces for him.

“Itadakimasu!” Roku said quickly, as if that was the magic word in getting himself food.

“Good job, buddy.” Iwaizumi nodded proudly, rewarding his son with a few chunks of meat. “Make sure you wipe your mouth when you’re done eating; it would be rude to have a messy face in front of King Tooru.”

“King?” The dark-haired boy repeated, pausing his grubby little hands from digging into his food to glance over at their guest. “Tour-oh?”

“Yeah. Tooru’s a king. The king of Aobajosai, like in the stories before bedtime—that’s where Daddy’s from, remember?”

 

Roku’s entire opinion of Oikawa seemed to change with that reminder; his chestnut colored eyes gazed at his other father in amazement, shining with wonder and curiosity. He kept staring even when he brought a chunk of juicy meat to his mouth, missing by a good six-inches and smearing the food across his face, much to Iwaizumi’s amusement and cringe. Once the rest of the meat was dealt out, Hajime piling both that and the bread and rice on Tooru’s plate like he hadn’t eaten in weeks, the three fell into a strangely comfortable silence, one the king spent glancing over at Roku every few seconds, cautiously observing the child, trying to pick-out what other characteristics he might have of his. Iwaizumi noticed, but didn’t say anything until he realized that Oikawa was looking back down at his food every time little Roku tried to make eye-contact—while he understood how freaky it probably was, seeing your own eyes stare back at you, he didn’t understand why Tooru seemed so… _afraid_.

 

“He doesn’t understand who you are, you know.” Hajime began, breaking the silence as his old lover looked up at him. “You don’t have to be so afraid of him…he doesn’t hate you or anything.”

The only reply Oikawa gave was a half-hearted shrug, so Iwaizumi decided to leave it at that for now. If the bastard didn’t want to look at his own child, who was he to force him? He’s only Roku’s birthgiver, his other father, but what did that matter?

After about an hour, Roku was finally finishing-up with his food, his face a splattered mess of bread crumbs, meat slime and drool, so Iwaizumi began cleaning things up, beginning with their child.

“Alright, Roku.” Hajime sighed, turning to look at his son, who stared up at him innocently as he gnawed on his last piece of meat. “What kind of hurricane did you create today?”

Before Iwaizumi could grab the rag, Tooru beat him to it.

“I’ve got him,” The king said quietly. “You can clean the table up or whatever.”

“…Okay. Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Tooru’s heart hammered nervously in his chest as he cautiously brought the rag up to Roku’s face, scared that the child would push him away or freak-out because this stranger was cleaning his face instead of his father. The cold surface touched the child’s cheek lightly, and he flinched a little, but otherwise stayed in place; his eyes slowly found their way to Oikawa’s face, locked-in on his hair as the king cleaned the mess off his lips. It wasn’t as disgusting as he thought, because Tooru became too transfixed with the details of the boy’s face to notice the chunky slime and half-chewed meat pieces on the rag. Roku _really_ looked like him…but he also _really_ looked like Iwaizumi. The upturned nose was the same as his birthfather’s, and the wrinkled forehead matched his almost exactly; the lips were more similar to Oikawa’s, pink, ready to speak, a little on the flirty side. His hair was a perfect mix of the two, dark like Iwaizumi’s, the shape of Tooru’s, fluffy and compliant to whichever position he slept in, which, apparently, varied minute to minute, because both sides of his head had locks sticking-up in wild positions, similar to Hajime’s normal hairstyle.

“He has milkbread crumbs all over his hair.” Tooru laughed lightly, running his hand over the front strands. It was so velvety and soft, just like his own… “I think he needs a bath.”

Iwaizumi sat down in the chair across from him again, and laid his arms on the table. His even brown eyes never left Oikawa. The king wasn’t sure what to make of this look.

“Um…do you want _me_ to give him a bath? I’ve never done it to anyone besides you, but I might—”

“Don’t you want the explanation?” Hajime interrupted lowly. “About why I left?”

 

Tooru’s mouth hung open for a few seconds, and Roku really wanted to reach out and touch, but managed to compose himself when he saw how sad his Daddy’s face (Iwaizumi’s) looked all of a sudden.

When Oikawa didn’t respond, Iwaizumi stayed quiet for a few moments, trying to collect his words as Roku reached out to play with his father’s outstretched hand on the table. Like always, a surging power of strength flowed through Hajime’s veins at the contact from his son, and he gave Roku an appreciative glance he seemed to understand on a weird, child-like level.

 

Iwaizumi looked back at Tooru, and told his story.

 

“I still haven’t decided whether or not leaving without telling you was the best decision.” Hajime admitted. “I only did that in the first place because I knew there was going to be a hell of a lot more tension with Shiratorizawa than anyone else predicted. A whore on the side pregnant with your bastard child was the last kind of rumors we needed to be floating around.”

“A _whore_?” Oikawa repeated stressfully. “Iwa-chan, how dare you call yours—”

The knight held up a hand, and Tooru, for once, listened to the gesture.

“…When I…when I found out I was pregnant…I actually felt kinda relieved, you know? …I had two-years until I wanted to retire from knighthood, and with the rising number of volunteer knights, I figured it was okay to just pack-up my stuff and leave early, get a headstart on the life I always wanted for us. I didn’t tell you because I knew you would want me to stay in Aobajosai, or else you’d want to come with, and either way, that would have meant disaster for the kingdom. Was I right in believing that?”

The king paused, then nodded reluctantly.

“I loved you too much,” Oikawa whispered. “I never would have let you leave…I would have convinced you to stay with me.”

“I know.” Iwaizumi smiled bitterly, taking Roku’s free hand in-between both of his as the child began playing with his rattle again. “That’s why I left without a plan. I grabbed my things, took a map along, and left as quickly as I could, because I knew if I even so much as _thought_ about turning around…I would do it in a heartbeat. For you.”

A tear escaped Tooru’s right eye. After two-years of doubting Iwa-chan’s feelings towards him, to now hear that he left because of his undying love for the king…it was both painful and relieving. A weight was taken off his chest, only to have a new one set on top seconds after. Roku interrupted the conversation to point out what he noticed.

“King crying?!” Their child questioned, trying to reach out to touch the wetness on Oikawa’s cheek. “Why he cry, Daddy?”

“I’m okay,” The king brushed off, wiping the tear away hurriedly. “I’m okay now.”

“Daddy, make better!”

“He’s okay now, Roku. See? No more crying.”

Roku, like the smart kid he was, stared at Tooru for a long time before he was convinced; he even offered the guest his rattle, and the remaining chunks of half-digested food on the table in front of him, which Oikawa politely declined to eat, assuring the child he was fine—this wasn’t true, of course, because seeing Roku’s genuine concern reminded him too much of Hajime, and more shots of pain jolted through his chest. Iwaizumi managed to get their son to become disinterested again, and continued his story.

“I wandered here after leaving Aobajosai, hoping you wouldn’t be able to find me amongst the hundreds of other little villages outside of Tokyo, and I managed to snag this house right after someone moved out. I laid low for a few months, only going out to get food once in a while…the old ladies at the market gave me lots of their old baby stuff, even though I told them I was perfectly able to buy or make my own for Roku. To be honest, they were the only people I talked to for the first seven months of my pregnancy.” Iwaizumi admitted with a dry laugh.

“Was it terrible?” Oikawa asked shakily. “Was it terrible, being in that kind of state all on your own?”

“I only felt overwhelmed when the pain started.” Hajime answered. His voice was getting quieter and quieter with each confession. “When…when the hormones or whatever kicked-in, and the stomach pains and sickness started, I………I almost caved.”

“Caved?”

“I almost went back to you.” Iwaizumi whispered.

 

The knight remembered how pathetic he had felt, lying in bed one night, all alone, no job, no records, nothing but his name, memories, a bag full of money, and a developing baby inside his stomach with only one parent. It didn’t matter that he had a home. It didn’t matter that he had nice neighbors and friendly old ladies willing to help him out. Nothing mattered, because he just wanted Tooru back in his life. He was in pain, and Tooru always helped make things better when he was in pain. He got so far as to write a letter telling the king of his upcoming arrival, only to fall asleep and come to his senses the next morning.

 

The pair were quiet for a few minutes, reflecting on the “what if’s” of Iwaizumi’s past decisions. Roku hummed to himself, a familiar tune that made the king glance over at him, then at his father, who had taught the boy that song a few months ago. Sometimes Roku looking like his old lover just wasn’t enough for him.

“Anyway,” Hajime coughed. “I lived here during my pregnancy, and eventually befriended Yachi and Yamaguchi, the people who live next door, and Yachi helped me out a lot during the later months. Their baby girl Lee is about five-months old now, so Roku goes over there when I have to work.”

“Who helped you give birth?” Tooru questioned.

The knight didn’t respond other than give the king an amused expression.

“… _Iwa-chan_ …who helped you give birth?”

“Nobody.”

Oikawa almost choked.

“No… _nobody_?”

“It’s not like I wasn’t prepared, Crappykawa.”

“You can’t give birth to child _alone_!”

“Well I did, so I guess I’ve proved you wrong yet again.” Iwaizumi smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. “It only took one push and he was out; I mean, it was difficult cleaning him properly, but I managed to do just fine.”

“B-But… _Iwa-chan_.” Tooru cried, covering his face with his hands. “W-Wasn’t it…w-weren’t you _lonely_?”

The father blinked in surprise at Oikawa’s show of concern, and found himself flashing back to that night, October 2nd, when he felt his water break, when he didn’t cry out for anyone to help, because there was nobody to help him, how he laid in bed for a good two-hours before he felt that it was time…he remembered how he had no hand to hold onto, how he gripped the bedside table so hard it broke, not because of how much pain he was in, but because of the stress that had been building and building on him for the past nine-months of his life, how _guilty_ he felt over not telling Tooru, how _guilty_ he felt for leaving without a goodbye, how _guilty_ he felt for leaving his knight friends, how _guilty_ he was for his child, knowing he might not ever meet his other father…

“You’re gunna make me admit it, huh?” Hajime smiled loosely. “Well…to be honest, then, when I went into labor…I was a wreck. I was never scared when we went into battle because I knew there was always people beside me to back me up, but this time around…I was pretty terrified.”

Tooru was still now, staring at his brave knight stiffly as tears continued to stream down his face.

“I actually cried for a little bit before I actually gave birth; I just remember feeling so lost, so out of place where I was, like nobody in the world knew I even existed—but then…right after that one push, the only push it took, when I felt he or she coming out into the world, everything just…the world just…everything _stopped_.”

Iwaizumi could hear, as clear as day, Roku’s first bout of crying as he exited his father’s womb.

“…And…when I looked down…I realized I wasn’t alone anymore.” Hajime smiled. “After all those months of wanting to go back to you, wanting to hear your voice…I finally felt… _at_ _peace_.”

 

The king wanted to ask more questions concerning Iwaizumi’s struggle during pregnancy, but knowing he wouldn’t be able to keep it together, remained silent. Their son broke it again by pointing out Tooru’s tears once more, and then Iwaizumi announced that it was time for Roku’s bath. He was having too much nostalgia today—it wasn’t good for his health, especially on a day where his son was almost _killed_. Hajime was even gentler than usual when he slid Roku’s shirt and socks off, and made sure to talk soothingly during the process, as to try and erase the child’s terrible memory of the day’s earlier event.

 

“You must have been a good boy today,” Iwaizumi noted, filling the sink bucket up with warm water and soap. “Hardly a spec of dirt on you.”

“Mhm!”

“Did you eat everything Yachi-san gave you for lunch?”

Roku hesitated before answering.

“Um…No…”

“No?”

“No.”

Hajime decided not to press, mostly because he was amused at his son’s honesty, and turned the conversation away from Yachi.

“Ready to get in?”

“Yeah!”

“In you go.”

Iwaizumi lifted his naked son high into the air, then plopped him down into the makeshift tub with a splash, alerting Tooru to the current situation; Roku gave a few high giggles as the water settled around him, which was more of a Hajime thing to do—had he been more like Oikawa in that way, he would have been shrieking, not giggling that precious giggle. He started making odd noises as Iwaizumi dipped his hands into the water and began wetting him down, imagination taking over reality; the king watched for a while, admiring his son’s laughs and noises as Hajime softly scrubbed bubbles through his dark locks of hair. When Iwaizumi was talking to him about something, his warm brown eyes drifted over to Tooru curiously; when he caught the guest looking, he hid under the ridge of the bucket and giggled to himself.

Oikawa took the following silence as an opportunity to start up a lighter conversation, his method of stopping more on-coming tears.

“So, Iwa-chan—how’s fatherhood coming along?”

“It’s great. I think I should have gotten pregnant sooner.” The knight joked.

“Did I hear you mention Aobajosai bedtime stories?”

“Knights!” Roku shouted. “Dragons and—and _King Tooru_!”

“He likes the ones with King Tooru and Knight Iwa-chan in them,” Hajime shrugged, feigning innocence. “Can’t say I blame the kid…I was a pretty awesome knight.”

“You’re still a pretty knight to me.” Oikawa hummed with a soft smile. “So you enjoyed childbirth? You like snotty noses and diaper wetting? You don’t hate the fact that you have to get up every night when Roku cries?”

“I love it when he cries.”

“Brutal, Iwa-chan.”

“I like comforting him,” Hajime rephrased with a light grin, pouring more water over Roku’s hair. “I like the fact that he looks like both of us. I really like how he has more of my personality, because if he didn’t, I’d probably be in big trouble.”

“Rude!”

Iwaizumi laughed, and Oikawa felt like he was going to feint. He had almost forgotten how amazing Hajime’s voice was. _Almost_.

“So that’s it, then.” Tooru confirmed with a slow nod. “…You love fatherhood.”

 

“Yes,” The brave knight smiled. “I love fatherhood.”

He glanced over his shoulder at the king, pausing the bath.

“But I would love it a lot more if you were here with us.”

~~~-~~~

As bath-time continued, Oikawa watched quietly to the side, heart aching with joy and sorrow; he really wanted Iwa-chan to kiss him again, if only on the cheek, if only for the last time of their existence. His cheek was still burning from the surprising action hours before, and he longed for the sensation to either go away, or become real—these taunting actions were no longer funny, not when the culprit of his reality was two-feet away.

“I can’t wash you when you’re holding onto my arm, buddy.” Iwaizumi laughed sweetly as Roku innocently refused to let go of his father’s wrist, soaking it with water.

Tooru watched as his son peered up at Hajime, eyes shimmering with that childish wonder that used to be present in his parents’ eyes whenever they were together.

“Daddy stay.” Roku decided, wrapping both arms around Iwaizumi’s wrist.

“Me?”

“Daddy…stay.” He repeated, this time in more of a whimper. “ _Stay_.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Roku.” Hajime reassured him, tilting the child’s head up so he could peer truthfully into those chocolate brown eyes. “Daddy’s not leaving. Tomorrow we can spend the entire day with each other, remember?”

Roku didn’t respond for a moment, only dipping his head down and sliding his long fingers into the palm of his father, silently asking him to hold his hand before reverently whispering into the silence of the room.

 

“ _Daddy_.”

 

Oikawa felt his heart clench as Iwaizumi let out a short breath, then dipped down to softly kiss his son on his wet hair—bathtime continued with the knight using only one hand, never releasing Roku’s grip for even a second. Tooru watched the pair fondly, glad his presence didn’t seem to be disturbing their normal system; he did wish he was part of that system, however, so standing back and being a spectator hurt a little bit. He was sure Iwa-chan wouldn’t mind if he helped, but…he was too afraid of being rejected.

Losing Iwaizumi two-years ago had caused this fear.

“Roku—want Daddy to make a flower?”

Roku gasped, and Tooru made the grave mistake of turning to look over.

“Watch closely…”

Hajime moved both of his hands, wrapping them around his son so that he had a front row seat to the glow emerging from one of his father’s palms; Oikawa couldn’t take his eyes away, no matter how much his chest was burning, and watched as a tiny blue flower emerged from the glow, hovering and twirling above the skin of Iwaizumi’s hands. He could only imagine Roku’s amazed, beautiful expression as his slender fingers moved forward carefully, daring to reach out and gently touch one of the blue petals.

 

Tooru’s vision switched, and he found himself back in his deepest memories, locking on the first time he met the love of his life, Seijoh’s bravest knight, nine-year-old Iwaizumi Hajime.

 

“It’s okay now,” Iwaizumi said, lightly patting the covered cut on Prince Tooru’s knee. “I fixed it. See?”

Oikawa sniffled, but nodded his head, making sure to cover his face so the knight-in-training couldn’t see his tears.

“Wanna play with me? We can play Revenge of the Green Creatures, like you wanted to.”

The prince sniffled again, and Hajime scratched his head, wondering what he could possibly do to ease his pain.

“Hey—hey Tooru.”

The knight poked Tooru relentlessly until he looked up with a pout and teary eyes.

“Wanna see something cool?”

Iwaizumi placed both of his hands together, making sure the prince could see how empty they were before a bright glow surged from thin air, blossoming a tiny blue flower a moment later, sparkling with leftover magic and shine as Hajime peered up at him, trying to hide his smile when he saw the amazed expression on Tooru’s face.

“I don’t have as much magic as you do, but…I can do this.”

He held the flower out to the prince, who looked at the object, then back up at Hajime to confirm that he could take such a precious piece of magic.

“Go ahead—it’s for you.”

Prince Oikawa shyly accepted the blue flower, bringing it close to his eyes to investigate further; he didn’t think he had ever seen such a beautiful creation before. His mother could make tea with magic, but that didn’t warm his heart up nearly as much as this gesture did; even _he_ couldn’t make something out of thin air like that. Hajime sat back and watched with pride as the prince softly ran his fingers over the petals, smiling despite his stubbornness, and using this quiet moment to wipe his tears away.

“…C-Can we still play Revenge of the Green Creatures?”

“Sure. But I’m not being the Green Creature this time—I don’t trust you with my net.”

“O-Okay!”

Iwaizumi stood up and helped the prince back onto his feet, plucking the flower from his hands and sticking it in one of the thick locks of his fluffy hair; Tooru looked at him in questioning, and Hajime shrugged. “You have to look the part, remember?”

“Right…because Iwa-chan always looks like a Green Creature who fell from the sky.”

The knight rolled his eyes and started running over to snatch his net up, only to be stopped by Tooru’s larger hand slithering through his own; he stopped, slowly turning towards the prince for an explanation. Oikawa’s round eyes were just as surprised as his were, but he managed to whisper a small clarification.

“Thanks for the flower, Iwa-chan.”

The prince gave his hand a light squeeze.

“…Yeah…you’re welcome.”

 

Hajime squeezed his hand back, and the knight and his future king spent the rest of the afternoon playing Revenge of the Green Creatures together.

 

When Tooru saw that little blue flower again, he wasn’t able to collect his emotions; he sprinted from the kitchen and shut the door of one of the other rooms behind him, trying to stop his soft cries from becoming audible. His plan to ease his sorrows didn’t work very well, because he had escaped into Iwa-chan’s bedroom, where a crib and another bed sat on each side of the room, reminding him of the very people he was already feeling guilty over. To avoid seeing another domestic scene, King Oikawa turned around to face the other wall, where a low dresser and a few shelves were placed—he decided this would be safer than looking at a place where he might have been sleeping next to Iwa-chan, had they made a few better decisions in the past.

Tooru took one step towards the shelf before he realized this decision was just as bad as the last.

The pink tissue from he and Iwaizumi’s first time together was sitting on the middle of the shelf.

More tears fell from the king’s eyes, and he found himself drifting back in time again when his fingertips shakily touched the soft fabric, memories stemming from the overwhelming scent of his Hajime in the bedroom. He didn’t think of the first time like the tissue prompted—he thought of the night Roku was conceived, the one night he almost lost his own life, which would have resulted in Iwaizumi not having a child now…

 

Iwaizumi immediately ripped off his armor and pulled Tooru into a tight, relieved hug once they made it into the king’s chambers; the battle was won, just barely, and Aobajosai’s bravest knight really didn’t think the win was worth it. Oikawa had almost lost his life tonight—seeing that their troops were struggling, he joined forces with them and managed to push the enemy back enough where the knights were able to recover and come back stronger than ever. Hajime led the way, but during each slash, each attack, the corner of his vision was glued to the king. He stayed close to him for each moment, with the exception of the one that mattered most, as Matsukawa was pinned down under one of the Iron Walls of Date Tech. He had to help him, and the second he turned around, he was horrified by the image of a stray arrow shooting directly towards Tooru.

By some miracle, it missed the king’s stomach by _inches_.

Hajime hadn’t stopped shaking since that moment. Not even when the head of the knights shook his hand. Not even when the war was officially over, when Oikawa signed his name on a treaty…he couldn’t remember a time he had been so terrified. He almost lost the love of his life, all because he wasn’t strong enough. If he had killed more soldiers, or helped out his squad more, maybe the king wouldn’t have had to step in.

It was his own fault.

 

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa said quietly, noticing the trembling of his knight’s body. “Are you okay?”

“ _No_ ,” Hajime choked out, pulling Tooru even closer as his eyes squeezed shut. “I-I…I-I almost…”

Iwaizumi couldn’t find the words for an apology, and let a few harsh tears slip out. He didn’t ever want to let Oikawa go, not when he knew there was even more danger out there, waiting for a king to claim, waiting for the opportunity to unleash the brave knight’s rage, tearing down the kingdom as it stood.

He didn’t let Oikawa go.

“What kind of knight _am_ I?” Hajime hissed at himself.

“The best one in all of Seijoh.” Tooru answered confidently, leaning back to look into his lover’s eyes. “You didn’t fail me today, Iwa-chan. You _didn’t_. You saved me again, just like always, and you protected my kingdom from the Iron Wall. I have nothing but gratitude to give to you, no matter how many bad decisions you think you make. You saved your fellow knight, and you saved—”

“ _Tooru_.” The knight sobbed, cutting him off. “I love you! I love you…I love you, a-and I—I…”

Unable to take anymore, Iwaizumi pulled the king into a deep kiss, which quickly turned into a soft, loving embrace of sweet exchanges of kisses and murmured promises. This continued for a few quiet minutes, the only people in the world trapped inside this very room; only when Hajime began pulling Tooru back towards the bed did things begin to heat-up. Still, their movements were slow, sensual, and since their armor was already stripped off, the rest of their thin clothes were slipped off within thirty-seconds, though they did this slow as well, wanting to remember each movement, each cause of breath and racing hearts.

When they finally made it to the bed, Iwaizumi kept Oikawa on his lap firmly; the king didn’t have a problem with this and snuck his lips down to latch onto his brave knight’s neck, only for those firm, tan hands to cup his face and bring it back against his.

 

“Enter me.” Hajime whispered.

 

“W…What?”

“I want you to enter me. Please.” Iwaizumi clarified, another tear dripping onto his cheek as he whispered against Tooru’s lips. “I can’t…I-I want…I want to feel every part of you, Tooru. Please… _please_ do it…y-you don’t have to ever again, just this once, I w-want you t—”

The king shut him off with a blubbering yelp and another passionate kiss.

“Of course,” Oikawa promised. “Of course I’ll do it. I love you, Hajime…I love you so much…”

 

Tooru remembered how different that night had been. He remembered feeling… _something_ _else_ in the air that night, when he entered Iwaizumi for the first time. Even though he had been king for five-years now, he had never felt such heavy responsibility; Hajime trusted him. He trusted him enough to do this, to reveal every inch of himself, every reaction and feeling, unable to hide behind anything when his true love was so deep inside him—Tooru couldn’t believe how proud he felt. Not just of himself, but of Iwaizumi.

 

Who the hell could ever love as much as Iwaizumi?

 

 _Nobody_ , Oikawa thought in present time as he held the pink tissue to his face. _Nobody could ever love as much as Iwa-chan._

The bedroom door slowly creeped open, and Tooru glanced over with teary-eyes to look at Hajime holding their son, all wrapped-up in a towel after his bath; Hajime had that stupid concerned glimmer in his dark eyes that made Oikawa want to smack him and kiss him at the same time.

“Just gotta get Roku’s sleeping shirt,” The knight said quietly. “…Are you okay, Tooru?”

“Fine,” Oikawa lied, using the tissue to wipe his tears like Iwaizumi had done for him so long ago. His lover’s heart jumped at the object the king was holding. “I’ll get out of your way.”

“Hey,” Hajime said, forcing him to stop before leaving the bedroom. “Let’s talk as I rock Roku to sleep at the table…okay?”

“As you wish, Iwa-chan.”

Tooru made a quick getaway as the other father slipped their son into his white sleeping shirt, snatching his favorite blanket along the way as they returned to the kitchen, where the king was waiting for them, eyes not as blood-shot as they were before. Iwaizumi heated a warm cup of milk for Roku over the dying fire, and sat down across from his old lover quietly, making sure their son’s bare toes were covered with the blanket. For a minute or two, the trio sat there quietly, a sleepy Roku changing his gazes between his two fathers curiously as he sipped from his bottle; he wanted to ask why King Tooru was crying again, but decided against it. He knew crying meant people were sad, and he didn’t want to make their guest feel worse. The little boy contented himself with staring at Oikawa as he snuggled against his father’s warm chest.

“He likes milkbread,” The king prompted, glancing up at Iwaizumi. “What else does he like?”

“He eats plain white rice a lot…doesn’t care for spicy things, though.”

“What else? Does he like tea?”

“Do you like tea, Roku?” Hajime asked.

“Uh uh.” The boy shook his head.

“What?! A Japanese boy who doesn’t like tea?!”

“He likes milk, that’s about it.”

“When did he start walking? Six months or so?”

“Try four months.”

“Really?!”

“He hasn’t gotten much further since then…he stumbles a lot, but I’m amazed at his balancing skills.” Iwaizumi smiled.

“Roku—do you like playing?”

“ _Yes_.” The dark-haired boy answered surely.

“What do you like to play with? Your rattle?”

“Rattle…um…da…Daddy.”

“You like playing with your Daddy? What do you play with him?”

“Umm…”

Roku glanced-up at his father in questioning, Hajime giving him an even look in return.

“Ty…tyc…”

“Tickling, right?” Iwaizumi finished. His son nodded a few times. “We have tickle fights before lunch sometimes.”

“Is he as ticklish as you are, Iwa-chan?”

“You mean as ticklish as _you_ are.” The knight corrected with a grin. “Sometimes I couldn’t even hold you up against me while we kissed because you claimed my fingers were inavertedly tickling your sides.”

“Pfff! I totally remember that!” Tooru laughed. “You used to use that against me when we were kids, too. You would tickle me until I was just on the edge of peeing my pants, and even then, you’d only let up when my face looked like it was going to explode.”

Hajime chuckled fondly at the memories, and Roku decided to be a part of the conversation.

“Kiss!” He stated happily. “Kiss, Daddy!”

“Where? Right here?” Iwaizumi asked, tapping his son’s head lightly.

“Please!”

The knight smiled and laid a gentle kiss against Roku’s temple. It was moments like these when he was overwhelmed with his love for their son…and he had a feeling Oikawa could feel that as well. Hajime watched as Roku let out a big yawn and reached for his bottle again, sucking what was left out as his warm brown eyes slowly fell closed, fluttering here and there with the attempt to stay awake, as if his father’s kiss had put a magic spell on him. Oikawa went quiet, watching his son fall asleep for the first time, a scene Iwaizumi had been relishing in for the past two-years—before he fell completely asleep, there were a few more hushed questions to ask.

“How old is he, exactly?” Tooru whispered.

“He was born October 2nd…turned two just last month.”

“So you’ve been away for just about three-years?”

“Feels longer than that,” Iwaizumi admitted, pressing his lips against Roku’s hair. “Why did you come?”

“Huh?”

“Why did you decide to find me now?”

 

King Tooru’s eyes slowly drifted upwards to look into the eyes of his knight. Upon seeing that familiar expression of curiosity and courage, a phrase found its way back into his heart, one Hajime had whispered into his ear after their third time together, the night their son was unknowingly conceived.

 

 _“I promise I’ll always find my way back to you,”_ Iwaizumi said passionately as he hugged Oikawa’s bare body as close as possible. _“I promise to always find you, no matter what’s in my way.”_

 

“I promised myself to find a way back to you.”

Hajime’s heart began to race uncontrollably. He knew _he_ still loved Tooru, but to hear those words said back…

“I…I still love you, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa continued, voice quivering and threatening to break. “I love you so much, I always will, and I just w-wanted you back!”

Tooru began crying out-loud, hiding his weeping eyes in his hands as all of his troubled emotions overwhelmed his poor heart; Roku began to stir at the commotion, causing the king to abruptly cover his mouth and look up in horror, praying he hadn’t screwed up another part of the child’s day. Iwaizumi stood swiftly, taking the bottle from Roku and walking into the bedroom, rubbing his son’s back all the way—to shock the king’s system even further, Hajime quietly called back to him before leaving.

 

“Come here.”

 

Tooru paused, but obeyed a moment later, desperately forcing himself to shut the hell up and stop crying already. He had never moved so silently before, creeping back into the bedroom with invisible movements—Iwaizumi was lowering little Roku into his crib, trying not to disturb his slumber too much as he situated the toddler on the straw mattress. Oikawa awkwardly watched from the side as Hajime adjusted the soft blanket over Roku’s toes, the quiet minute broken by the boy’s panicked cry of “Daddy!” the second the knight lifted a finger off him.

“It’s okay,” Iwaizumi hushed gently, offering his son one of his fingers to hold onto. “Shh…Daddy’s not going anywhere…it’s okay…”

“Sta…stay…” Roku mumbled, eyes fluttering shut again.

“Yeah…Daddy’s staying…right, Daddy?”

It took Oikawa a long moment to realize he was being referred to.

“I…I…yeah. Daddy’s staying, Roku…you can go to sleep now…it’s all okay…”

 

Much to the king’s amazement, their son’s stirring body ceased movement, twitching a few times before going completely still—his eyes stopped fluttering, but his hand stayed firmly wrapped around Hajime’s finger. They remained like that for what seemed like forever: Tooru much closer to Iwa-chan than he originally thought, Iwaizumi leaning over the crib so his son could hold onto his finger, Roku sleeping soundly in the dead of the night…the king couldn’t remember a time in the past two-years where he had ever heard this kind of silence.

Tooru now understood what his knight meant about finding peace, here, in this tiny village outside of Tokyo, with nothing but a small hut, and his little prince.

A warm touch startled Oikawa back to reality, and he became aware of the fact that Hajime was leading his hand down and inside the crib, towards Roku’s exposed hand; instead of just letting him touch the child, Iwaizumi slipped his own finger out of his son’s grasp, and replaced it with Tooru’s.

A gasp escaped his lips when Roku tightly squeezed his finger, even in the depths of his deepest slumber.

 

“See?” Iwaizumi whispered to himself, though Oikawa heard every word. “…He already knows his daddy.”

 

 _Shit_ did the king want to cry again, but instead of tears, he found himself releasing a breathy laugh, full of amazement and absolutely cherishing emotion as he brought his other hand into the crib to lightly brush back Roku’s bangs. Roku was just so _breathtaking_ …he was the perfect amount of Iwaizumi, the perfect amount of Tooru, and Oikawa would have been content to hold this little prince forever and ever, till the end of his days, but once his father was sure the boy was sound asleep, Hajime gently slipped Tooru’s finger from the child’s grasp, and took a step away from the crib.

“You promised you’d find me,” Iwaizumi whispered in the darkness of the room. A chill went down Tooru’s spine. “You kept that promise…and now you promised Roku you’d stay the night. Will you…will you keep that one as well?”

“Yes,” The king exhaled. “…Yes, I will.”

Hajime said nothing, not knowing that Tooru could _feel_ the relief oozing off him. There were so many fucking things he wanted to do, to say to his old lover, his king, the one he pledged himself to in more ways than just knighthood—he wanted to take him into his arms, kiss him, hold him, touch him, whisper to him, run with him…Iwaizumi had silently wished Oikawa would find him someday. That was why he gave his real name to Matsukawa-san, why he wasn’t shy about saying hello to strangers, introducing himself, in hopes that maybe they knew the king, that they would mention his location in passing, telling about Seijoh’s bravest knight who now lives in a small village outside of Tokyo, waiting for someone to come back to him.

 

Iwaizumi had been waiting for this since the moment he left Aobajosai two-years ago.

 

The pair stood in silence. Minutes, maybe even hours passed as they stared at the flooring, not daring to sneak glances at each other, for fear of accidently rushing into their arms when the other rejected the gesture, saying it was too long ago, their feelings are already faded away. Despite both boys having admitted their love for each other, they were very afraid. Things were different now. Their situation was different, older, more mature. It had only been two-years apart, but two-years apart was enough for…for…

 _For us to fall even more in love with each other than before_ , Hajime realized.

After an eternity of contemplation, Iwaizumi reached out, grabbed the king of Seijoh by the hands, and pulled him flush against his body.

Tooru didn’t have enough air in his lungs to even gasp, and it wasn’t a second later that he found himself giving in completely, raking his arms around his knight’s strong shoulders to force him closer than ever. _This_ was what they had both been missing. Having the annoying prince hug him was all Iwaizumi needed to make a bad day better. Having the grouchy knight hold his hand was all Oikawa needed to feel okay again. The act was so foreign to them, so unlike the actions they took in the past two-years that it took a long moment for the awkwardness to go away, but once it ran away, it was gone forever. Iwaizumi’s heart was hammering out of control as he felt all of his deepest nerves be set on fire with Tooru’s touch; he felt reconnected again, like…like he wasn’t alone in this anymore. True, Roku was the missing piece in his life, but Oikawa…

 

He was the first piece of the puzzle. And he had found his way back home.

 

Once that first touch ignited all of their memories, sliding over to lay down in Iwaizumi’s bed was easy. They continued to hug and hold each other as tightly as possible, and Tooru began crying again, but these tears were softer, full of relief, relaxation, and love. Iwaizumi cradled his lover as he sniffled and whimpered quietly, in utter disbelief at what was happening. To think, this was what he _came_ here for, and he actually managed to _get_ _it_ —

“Do—Do you know how hard it was?” Hajime started in a whisper, tears of his own slipping out as Oikawa opened his wide shining chocolate orbs to stare lovingly at his knight. “Do you know how much it _ached_ , not hearing your voice for two-flipping- _years_?” He begged. “God, I…I thought I was going to go _insane_ …I just…wanted to hear you say _something_ , _anything_ , that stupid nickname, a stupid pick-up line, anything, just so I could hear you again—”

“I-I heard you on the battlefield,” Tooru confessed tearfully, taking Iwaizumi’s handsome face in his hands. “W-When we p-practiced, I could hear your voice, and I…I just…”

Iwaizumi closed his eyes, then abruptly opened them again when he realized he didn’t want to see darkness; he didn’t want to close his eyes ever again. He just wanted to see Tooru, here, beside him, with Roku sleeping a few feet away, and he wanted them to be a family, and he didn’t want them to be separated for as long as they lived.

 

The greatest knight of Seijoh was retired. And he planned on keeping it that way.

 

“ _Please_ …at least visit us, Tooru.” Hajime begged as his tears subsided. He stroked the king’s cheek lovingly, hand shaking the idea of him leaving in the morning. “If not me, at least visit Roku…he…he should know both of his fathers, even if you have to be away often, even if you never publicly claim him as being yours…please don’t leave him alone in this world. You can leave me, but _please_ …please, Tooru…don’t ever leave Roku.”

“I can’t let go again, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa said with a smile so sad and beautiful Iwaizumi had to pull him even closer. “I-I could never let you go a second time. Never again.”

Words cannot describe how much relief poor Iwa-chan’s heart felt at those sweet words.

“I’m not leaving. I’m going to be with you, you and Roku, as a family…no matter what. I’ll start sorting things out with the kingdom next week. Maybe the week after that. And yes, Iwa-chan…”

King Tooru leaned in, brushing noses with Hajime as they stared into each other’s eyes.

“That’s a promise.”

 

Oikawa and a smiling Iwaizumi inched closer to each other, lips ghosting together, then locking in the first real kiss they had experienced in _two-years_. Two-years of isolation. Two-years of cutting everyone else off. Two-years of crying at night, missing the other’s touch so badly it sent pains through their chests. Two-years of wanting to return, but not having the strength to. Two-years of yearning, of pining so aggressively it made their minds balance on the edge of sanity.

It was all over.

Everything seemed to fall back into place; Iwaizumi saw and felt all their touches, all of their times together, all of their experiences, good and bad, all of the battles they fought, all of the tough times that didn’t seem so bad because they were always together through them…and this was another memory they could add-to the pile. A memory of stinging pain, longing, and finally, relief. Hajime and Tooru kissed and kissed and kissed until their lips were numb from the taste of each other—they didn’t really care about tomorrow. In their minds, there _was_ no tomorrow. There were yesterdays, but no tomorrows. There was only now, when they laid in each other’s arms, sharing the other’s warmth, exchanging soft kisses and whispers of old promises, now renewed through their long-awaited reunion.

 

The son of Oikawa and Iwaizumi laid in the crib a few feet away, eyebrows slanted down in a lovable pout, snoring softly in the silence of the room as his parents kissed one last time before falling into unconsciousness against each other’s lips.

 

 

The grand king of Aobajosai, his bravest knight, and their precious little prince all slept soundly that night, in their small one-bedroom hut, in an insignificant village outside of Tokyo, worlds away from anyone who dared threaten to separate their family ever again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they all lived happily ever after!  
> Thanks for reading, tell your friends about the beautiful knight Iwaizumi Hajime, his true love King Oikawa Tooru, and their precious love-child, Iwaizumi Roku.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, kids, and long live Iwaoi (and Roku). Yes, I did take that name from Avatar: The Last Airbender :)  
> NEXT TIME, a family reunion dinner with bear meat, details of Iwaizumi's pregnancy and fatherhood
> 
> Follow the other me @ juniper_mermaid on insta!


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